


So Mends the Fade, So Mends the Heart

by realitydvnt



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition, Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: Angst, Beginnings, F/M, Lyrium, Memories, The Fade
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-08
Updated: 2018-09-27
Packaged: 2019-07-08 15:35:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,907
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15933389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/realitydvnt/pseuds/realitydvnt
Summary: Commander Cullen finds a half dead women who has fallen from the fade.  He is taken aback by familiarity between her and someone from his past, but the chaos of the explosion at the Temple of Sacred Ashes keeps his mind from wondering to where he wishes it could go.Aryanna has no recollection of the events of the past few weeks.  She wakes up to find herself the prisoner of a group of shem who believe she murdered their most holy.  Through all of the confusion and accusation, she finds herself drawn to the handsome Commander who bears a striking similarity to the man her older half sister had written to her about when she was just a child.Could it be fate that has brought these two together?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first attempt at fanfic. I hope anyone who reads it, likes it. concrit is welcome!

He watched as the sky split apart with a sickly rip. 

The entire area was bathed in putrid light from the hole that has been torn in the sky and they had been tasked with searching for survivors. He knew in his heart that they would not find anyone but it was his duty now. He was the Commander of the Inquisition, and by the Maker, he would search every inch of the ruined temple for a small hope that someone survived. But he knew it would have been a miracle for someone to have lived through such a disaster.

This is why he stood thunderstruck to see a small frame fall from the pulsing rip just inside the crater. His men shouted, weapons drawn, thinking that is must be a demon. But the figure did not move once it hit the ashen ground. He watched, rooted to his spot, as his men surrounded the body that had just fallen from the fade, expecting it to grow into the monstrous form of desire or greed.

Cullen allowed his eyes to trace the path that the figure had just followed. Above the swarm of men, where the tear is reality had pitched the frail form his soldiers were occupied with, he saw a radiant form. His jaw dropped open. His mind knew the shape of that lumemous being standing in the tear but he wouldn’t allow himself to believe. It couldn’t be.

Time seemed to catch up with itself, all at once sound came running back to Cullen. His senses twitch with the cacophony of yells from below him. He brought himself out of the trance and hurried over ashen landscape, to the still figure that lay surround by sword points.

“It’s an elf?” one of his men said, though Cullen wasn’t sure what it was until he kneeled down, laying his sword next to him on the ground. 

“It’s still breathen’...but it fell out of the fade! How’s that possible?” Another of his men spoke up now, a hint of tremble in his voice.

“Quiet! All of you step back.” He barked. He reached out his hand and pushed straw colored hair back from the face, revealing delicately pointed ears and pert nose. Her eyes were closed and her face and lips were a similar shade of ashen pale. Bruises rested under each of her eyes, giving stark contrast to the pale pink tattoo that rested over her left eye. She was Dalish. He remembered from his days as a templar, the elves that would join the circle with the tattoos on their faces were Dalish. They didn’t live in cities, in the alienage, they were nomadic.

His eyes traveled over her face, taking in the structure, delicate features, the way that her lashes lay against her cheeks with her eyelids closed and he was stricken. It was all too familiar, she was too familiar.

His face flushed as he realized that he had been staring at the elf for seconds longer than would have been prudent. He cleared his throat and stood up. “Fletcher, Harris, continue the search of the area. Rylen with me.” 

Cullen picked his sword up and placed it deftly in the scabbard at his hip then leaned down and lifted the elf into his arms. Her face contorted as he moved her, her head lolling back, lips parting into a groan of pain. One arm was pinned to his chest, the other flopping with each step he took out of the ruined temple.

“Ser, look, her hand, it’s glowing.” Rylen spoke quietly as they walked. 

Cullen glanced at him and then glanced at her left hand as it flared and sparked as they walked. “Not a word of this to the other men, Rylen. We don’t know what is going on and I don’t need the rest of them deserting when things are at their worst.” Cullen said barely audible to his own ears.

Rylen grunted his reply “Yes, Ser”, sliding his hand his to sword and glancing warily around him. 

The two men made their way out of what was left of the Temple of Sacred Ashes. Rylen two steps in front of his Commander, watching the surroundings as they force marched back to Haven. They had encountered a few groups of demons on their way up, but it seemed they would have luck not to encounter any on the way down. Thank the Maker. This gave Cullen time study the women that he held in his arms. She was thin, the way that most of the elves that he had met were, long arms and legs, nary an ounce of fat on her.

_Muscular, but not in a way that someone who wielded a blade would be.  
Perhaps an archer?_

The thoughts drifted through his mind as he felt her limp body against his.

_High cheeks, slightly pouted lips, just like her, just like Neria.  
That was her name, wasn’t it? Neria…_

He hadn’t thought about her in such a long time. His mind drifted to memories he thought forgotten in the lyrium haze of the past. Things he locked away because it was easier then attempting to reconcile the heartache that came with it. He shook his head.

_Maker, you fool. Now is not the time for this._

The Commander and the Knight-Captain pushed through the gate at the bridge that led down the little road towards the village of Haven. Rylen shouted, gaining the attention of everyone on the bridge. Cullen looked up from the body he was carrying to see Seeker Pentaghast rushing over

“Commander, you found someone alive?” On her face he could see a mix of emotions. Fear danced with hope, anger mixed with weariness. She looked like many of the people on the bridge did.

“Yes, but I do not know for how much longer. She is weak, her breaths are ragged. You will not believe where the men and I found her.” He stated as he continued his advance along the bridge and through the gates of Haven.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Solas takes the mantle of healer with regards to the prisoner. Some people visit.

“I am sorry Seeker, but I can not, in good conscious, attempt to wake her. She is too weak.” Solas kept his voice even and without emotion. Seeker Pentaghast had made it clear to him that, while he wasn’t a prisoner, his life wasn’t certain. As long as there were still more unanswered questions about the event at the Temple of Sacred Ashes, no one was above suspicion. Especially an Elven apostate. 

Seeker Pentaghast paced around the cell turned healing chamber, “Solas, you must do whatever you can to make sure that she lives. We have to know what happened to Divine Justinia and she may be the only person who knows” Stopping to point at the pale elf woman who languished on the cot. 

“I understand, Seeker. I also understand that you coming in here and demanding things of her is not going to aid in her recovery. You are just going to have to be patient.” Solas responded. He was standing with his back to the cold stone of the cell at the foot of makeshift bed. His hands were clasped tightly behind his back. He was looking at the seeker as she paced like a caged animal, his head tilted up so that he could look down his equine nose at her. 

“Seeker, if I could suggest..” he started, his voice taking on a softer tone. “You should go get some rest as well. As soon as the girl begins to stir, I will send someone to get you.” He lowered his head to appear less like he was silently judging her. 

She made a noise that was halfway between a grunt and growl before she spoke “Very well, Solas. As soon as she wakes, I want to know.” She took one more long look at the unconscious woman before she turned and stepped from the cell and towards the stairs, disappearing with the soft clank of her armor. 

Solas sighed and sat down in the chair seated next to the girl. He picked up the book that he had dropped next to the chair when Seeker Pentaghast had arrived and stared at the cover. It was plain green leather, probably deep stalker. It had been embossed with a simple leaf pattern during the creation. He ran his fingertips over the pattern and sighed again. 

_Too much has happened already._ He thought, glancing from the book to the girl laying on the cot. 

He studied her features so many times between now and when the Commander brought her in from the ruins of the Temple of Sacred Ashes. She was young, very young by his account. Perhaps no more than twenty summers before now. Her frame and features were delicate, more elvhen then he had seen in many of the elves he had come across in his travels. The way her cheek bones rested high on her face, the slight pull of the corner of her eyes, the longer point of her ears, she reminded him of a time that he dare not think about. 

Too much had happened since he awoke, he had to focus on this point in time and the events that were unfolding around him. It was unfortunate that things had happened the way that they did.  
Solas placed the unopened book back onto the floor next to his chair and kneeled down next to the comatose girl, examining the cut on her forehead. She had a small cut just inside the line of her golden hair that had bled more than it should have. When he first looked at her, there had been a sheet of blood covering her face. He thought that she would not make it simply because of the amount of blood. But then, head wounds did tend to bleed more than other places on the body, so when he cleaned the wound up, he found that it was much smaller than he anticipated. 

He traced his fingers down the sharp line of her cheek to her chin, before turning her head with a gentle nudge to examine her neck. She had some bruising there that was looking much better. He nodded to himself as he released her chin, then moved down to examine her left hand. 

He pushed the cover away and wrapped his slender fingers around her delicate wrist. He brought the hand up closer to his face and turned it over to examine the palm. As he did, the hand flashed and flared a sickly green light from a deep crack in the center of the palm. Solas did not flinch from the light that danced around the room and across his face. With keen eyes and deft fingers he pulled the skin apart around the light, not sure exactly what might happen. All at once, the girl shook and grew ridged, her lips curled back in a grimace of pain and she shrieked. Her eyes remain closed, but Solas could see in the shadows from the light of her hand that her eyes were moving underneath her eyelids. 

“What could you be dreaming about, _da’len_ ,” Solas muttered to himself and placed her hand back down next to the girl, then returned the blanket in place. He stood adjusting his shirt and heard the sound of the door to the main hall open and close. The door to the cell was open, so Solas stepped out into the portico between all of the cells of the small prison. 

“Commander Cullen” Solas said to the approaching figure. It was still too dark to see anyone, but Solas had become familiar with the sound of the Commander’s armor in the weeks since the incident at the Temple of Sacred Ashes. He had made this walk to the cells too many times before, for what purpose Solas could not say.

“Solas.” The Commander cleared his throat, stopping a few feet from Solas with a shudder of the heavy armor that he wears like its his skin. He took a breath and softened his voice to continue to speak.

“How is she? Any change to her condition?” Commander Cullens eyes trailed from Solas over to the cell and the twitching form of the girl laying inside. Solas could see in the dim light that the Commander’s eyes were following the lines of the girl’s body under the blanket that was covering her and he frowned inwardly.

Clearing his throat Solas spoke, “She is mostly the same. It appears that whenever something happens with the breach outside, the wound on her hand will spark and she will react in pain. I am not certain why this is happening or how we can stop it. They seem to be connected somehow. If she does not wake soon, I fear that it will kill her.” His voice is dispassionate as he speak.   
Solas studied the Commander's face as the man processed the information. It was quite clear to Solas that the Commander was dealing with feelings that he had for the girl, but he couldn’t understand why.

“Commander, if I may be so bold, but you’ve been down here every day since you brought her in. I can’t help but feel as though you might know who she is. If you do, it would be helpful…”

The Commander’s head snaps to look at Solas, interrupting him mid sentence “No, no, Solas. I’m sorry. No, I don’t know who she is. I just…” Cullen paused and glanced back to the limp form on the cot before returning his gaze to Solas, “I am concerned for what she might know. We need to find out what happened to the Most Holy, and she seems to be the only chance we have to figure this out.” He speaks rapidly, looking at Solas before he turned.

“Please keep me informed as to her progress.” The Commander’s back was to Solas before he had a chance to respond.

Solas stood in the darkness of the portico watching the silhouette of Commander Cullen has he walked the hall towards the exit of the prison. The sound of his footsteps echoed through the cavernous undercroft. With an exasperated breath Solas gathered his thoughts and turned back towards the cell, back to the duty that he has taken upon himself to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who has read this so far! Thank you also to my husband, who is not apart the fandom but supports me completely with my obsession. And, thank you to Elerrina174 for being the first to comment and kudos, you really helped me continue!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Prisoner awakens, there is a lot of scramble to figure out what is going on.

Aryanna

Aryanna opened her eyes with a start. She stared up at the patchwork stone ceiling. It was too dark to make out the pattern of the stone but she knew she was in a cell of some kind. Her head turned to the side and her eyes came into focus. Bars and an open cell door. A chair perched next to the cot she was lying on, empty. A few books scattered on the floor. Lit torches on the posts outside the cell flickered. She groaned a little as she became aware of her body. She must have been lying there for quite a while. Aryanna moved her legs at the knees, bending to bring her feet up under her. The bones and tendons in her knees popped and groaned as they moved and she whimpered in response.

 

Cullen

_She had long hair the color of sunlight on wheat. Her eyes were the same shade of blue-green as Lake Calenhad on a clear summer's day. The first time I saw her, she was walking through the halls with a few other apprentices._

_I don’t remember where they were going, but it was my first day at Kinloch Hold. I had just arrived on the apprentice floor with two other newly assigned Templar. Our armor was so fresh that it still smelled like metal polish and new leather. We were standing at attention, listening to Knight-Commander Greagoir give us the rundown of our specific duties when the group passed by._

_She was walking on the outside closest to where we were standing and had turned to glance at the group of us as she passed. I couldn’t help but stare at her. I had never seen anything so beautiful. The way her hair, held up in a messy pile on the top of the head, curled around her delicate ears. Her cheeks flushed pink when she saw that I was looking at her._

Commander Cullen looked up from his desk. The papers that were scattered there were reports from around the valley. More incursions, more rifts, and more demons. It seemed to be growing worse by the hour. The final sheet, a report from a scout close to The Temple of Sacred Ashes, had said that they had seen a large group of demons that looked to be made of fire. They were burning their way through a small farmstead. He had received it only just thirty minutes ago. He knew that he had to take a squad of men out there fast if they were to save any of the people that might still be there. The Commander stood from his desk and gathered his helmet under his arm. 

 

Aryanna

“Ah, who's down there?” a voice from out of her vision echoed and she turned her head towards the sound.

She could hear heavy footfalls on stone coming towards her. Panic rose in her chest and she sat up just to have her vision fade in a vignette of black. Aryanna threw her body out of the cot in an attempt to kick-start her failing limbs. She landed on the stone floor with a clatter and a thud, her arms and legs only responded enough to flail and get in the way. Before she could figure out how to get her coltish body working correctly, a strong hand, gloved in hard leather, grabbed her by the arm and hauled her up. All of the motion, the quick jerk of the man's strength and the harsh way his hands move her upwards caused her sight to dim completely and her body to go limp again.

“Eh! She’s awake, the prisoner is awake! Get the Seeker! Call the Commander!” the guard called to his partner down the hall outside the portico.

With his right hand still on his sword, he grabbed the small elf woman and dragged her from the cell. Her body went limp halfway out, and he had to pull her into the center of the chamber. 

“Oi, I get it, you think I’m going to put you down if you pretend to be asleep again. Well, I won’t. You can’t fool me. Iron is what you'll get. To make sure that you can’t try to escape before you’ve paid for your crimes.” The guard practically spit on her as he spoke in a low voice so close to her face that she could feel warm air on her cheek and smell the alcohol on his breath. Aryanna could hear what he was saying but it was like he was far away. His voice sounded as if he was standing on the opposite end of a cave. 

_Pay for my crimes? What’s he on about?_

 

Cassandra

“Seeker Cassandra, she has awakened.” The runner was standing in the doorway, absentmindedly stepping between one foot and then the other with nervous energy.

Cassandra was sitting at the desk in her sparse quarters going over reports from the spymaster's agents in the valley. Demon reports were growing as the breach grew in size. It seemed every day the sightings and attacks grew two-fold. She made a noise from her nose as she stood, lowering the papers into a scattered pile on the desktop.

“Take me.” She said as she stepped from behind her desk and towards the door. Cassandra gestured to the other runner who was standing at her desk side.  
“Go gather all of the guards around the Chantry and bring them to the holding cells.” The runner nodded and took off, stepping around the Seeker and the other servant.

 

Cullen

He looked to his runner “Jim, go tell Lieutenant Brynner that we are taking a squad into the valley. I need them ready to go in ten minutes.” Jim bowed his head obediently and went out the door.

A few moments later another runner appeared. A frail elf woman with overly big eyes. She stood in the doorway, twitching for a moment before speaking. “Ser, news about the prisoner.”

Cullen's heart jumped into his throat. It had finally happened, he knew it was possible, but she seemed to be getting stronger. He turned to look at the elf, with expectation lingering on his face as he strapped his sword to his waist. The runner hesitated, twitching a little more. She seemed to have something caught in her throat. A sigh escaped Cullen's lips.

“Out with it..what about the prisoner?” His tone was sharper than he meant it be which made him sigh again as he saw her flinch.

“I-I’m sorry Ser. Seeker Pentaghast is going to her right now. She is awake. The Seeker wants you to join her for the interrogation. At once, she said!”

“Maker's breath, I can't. I'm about to take a squad of men into the valley. There has been an increase in demon activity and we need to do something. Go and tell Sister Leliana that I wish her to take my place with the Seeker. And for Maker’s sake, tell her not to let the Seeker kill the prisoner before I have had a chance to talk to her!” Cullen strode to the door of his office as the runner turned on her feet and left.

 

Aryanna

She tried to move her legs and arms to no avail. Her head lolled just as her eyes opened with a flutter. She couldn’t seem to get control of her body. Aryanna blinked her eyes open and stared up at the face of the man who was trying to hold her up. He was unshaven and looked as though he hadn’t slept well in several nights. He had dark circles under his eyes and his nose was red from too much drink. The guard sized Aryanna up in return, eyes trailing over her face and body in an appraising fashion.

“Don’t know how someone so frail and weak could have killed the Divine...” he muttered.

Without warning the room erupted in pale green light and Aryanna cried out. The sound was guttural and painful to hear. Her body seized in ridged convulsions before collapsing to the stone floor.

The guard let go of her arm as this happened and took a step back, looking around the portico for some form of restraint against the vile magic that she seemed unable to control. He spotted a pillory leaning against the wall of an adjacent cell and hurried to scoop it up. Aryanna was writhing on the stone floor, her eyes rolled back in her head and mouth curled into a silent grimace of pain.

The guard grabbed her up by the hand not marked by evil, hurried the pillory around her head and limbs then snapped it closed. He was not gentle with it. When he finished getting it completely locked in place, he threw her back like she was some vile creature who had burned him. She landed on her knees on the hard floor in a heap of sobbing pain. Down the hall from the portico, the sound of heavy armored footfalls could be heard hurrying towards them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took me longer then I wanted to get this out. Also it was difficult to set down because of the nature of the chapter. Three different voices, all going on at the same time. So much is happening! Thank you so much to Elerrina174 for editing when I really needed it. I almost gave up on this. Hope it made sense and that you enjoyed it!


End file.
